Patrick Vieira was one of very few people to have Granit Xhaka’s back during the Swiss international’s difficult time at Arsenal.
Arsenal’s first half of this season went as wrong as it possibly could. The Gunners dropped down to the bottom half of the league table, played unattractive football and their performances cost Unai Emery his job.
Right in the middle of all of the above, Granit Xhaka hit the headlines in a way that he would never have wanted to.
The midfielder was substituted in the game against Crystal Palace back in October and was booed off by the home supporters for taking too long to get off the pitch.
Xhaka reacted to the abuses from his own fans and took off his shirt before heading straight down the tunnel. The former Basel man was the biggest villain on the day at the Emirates and was dropped for a month for his actions.
Most fans, pundits and even former Arsenal players were on Xhaka’s back, demanding the Swissman to leave the club for his outburst against the fans.
One Arsenal legend had his back during this difficult period and that was Patrick Vieira. The former Gunners skipper backed Xhaka to come out of this stronger when most others did the exact opposite.
He told The Guardian in November: “I feel sorry for him (Xhaka) because he’s going through a really different period and really difficult time at Arsenal. But I think we have to remind ourselves that he’s achieved a lot since he’s (been) at Arsenal and he deserves a lot of respect.”
“I know how good he is and he will come through this difficult period because he’s a strong man, he’s a good player. And he will show how good he is.’’
Xhaka had one foot out of the door in January with Blick reporting quotes from the midfielder’s agent who claimed that his client had agreed a deal with Bundesliga side Hertha Berlin.
Mikel Arteta came in and convinced Xhaka to stay and that has worked out brilliantly for both, the club, and the Swissman himself.
Xhaka is arguably Arsenal’s most important player at the moment and his presence has helped the Gunners become a lot more dangerous offensively.
Bukayo Saka has a lot more freedom in the opposition third now thanks to Xhaka’s positioning and that has helped the youngster thrive.
Arteta deserves a ton of credit for bringing Xhaka back to his best and the Spaniard’s system seems to be the perfect fit for the 27-year-old.
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